
ESTELLE RYAN SNYDER 



The Land of Promise 

and 

Golden Opportunity 



By 



Estelle Ryan Snyder 



" The United States of America are destined to be 
the most powerful coimtry on earth." — Napoleon 



Published by Estelle Ryan Snyder 

1308 Ashland Buildinj.- 

Chieaffo 






LIBRARY of CONGRESS 

Two Copies Received 

DEC 6 1905 

. CoDyright Entry 
cuss CXl XXc, No. 
COPY B. 



Copyright 1905 by 

Estelle Ryan Snyder 

Chicagro, Illinois 



All ria-hts reserved 



FOREWORD. 




HE "Land of Promise and Golden Opportunity'' 
foreshadows in its title the enthusiasm with which 
it was penned. Prepared for a delightful trip, 
Mrs. Snyder left Chicago June 1, 1905, to join 
the National Editorial Association at St. Louis, 
for a tour of the "Golden West." She went prepared 
to be pleased, as she recalled a journey through that 
part of the territory many years ago; she returned fairly 
bubbling over with pleasure, not only from the most gracious 
and wonderful hospitality showered upon the editors on sight- 
seeing bent, Init at the grandeur of the scenery, and the mar- 
velous promise of the country for those who were ready to 
claim the wealth and comfort awaiting them. With courage, 
perseverance and patience as capital to invest the "Land of 
Promise and Golden Opportunity" has a warm welcome for 
those who seek health, wealth and pleasure under its brilliant 
skies and amid its fertile fields. From her desire to share 
the magnificent tour with those who could not accompany her 
this little book is sped on its mission of cheer. 



CAROLINE A. HULING. 



Chicago, October 15, 1905. 



CHAPTER I. 

Land of the Fair God. 

June 10, 1905. 

ONE of the handsomest trains that ever pulled out of 
the Tei-minal Station at St. Louis, Missouri, was the 
National Editorial Special, which left St. Louis, June 
6, at noon, over the ''Katy Koute." The special, which con- 
sisted of fourteen handsome Pullmans and a liaggage car, was 
run in two sections, and carried seven hundred editors to the 
convention. 

The special arrived at Sedalia, Mo., at eight o'clock that 
night, for supper, and lireakfasted at Osage, Indian Territory, 
the next morning. 

The train arrived in (iutlu'ie, Oklahoma, at four o'clock 
the afternoon of June 7. after an enjoyable trip across the beau- 
tiful fertile plains of ^Missouri and Oklahoma. A delegation 
of prominent citizens met the special about thirtj- miles from 
Guthrie, and conducted the party to their city, the capital of 
the greatest territory in the country. The station platform 
was crowded with citizens, and two splendid bands were 
playing patriotic airs. Cheer after cheer, shouted lustily and 
heartily, greeted the visitors. Gay flags and bunting waved 
in the breeze. Guthrie had donned her holiday attire. Two 
hundred and fifty carriages and vehicles conveyed the editors 
and their Avives to the different hotels prepared for their enter- 
tainment. A brief meeting was held at the Opera House, where 
the guests were welcomed by the mayor and several prominent 
citizens. A reception given by the people of Guthrie to the 
editors followed in the evening. The streets were ablaze Avith 
light from the hundreds of red, white and blue arc lights 
swung in every available place. It was a Avarni summer night, 



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State Capitol, Guthrie, Oklahoma 



10 THE LAND OF PROMISE 

Like a scene from the "Arabian Nights" was the picture 
presented in the ballroom in the capitol building, which was 
beautifully decorated with American tiags, bunting, stately 
palms, beautiful cut tiowers and a profusion of cape jessamine. 
Beautiful women, elegantly gowned, greeted the visitors to 
tlieir city. The soft strains of delicious music drifted through 
the flower-laden air. 

Entertainments and receptions followed each other in rapid 
succession. Delightful drives to the places of general interest 
were indulged in. 

The Scottish Rite Masons gave a splendid reception in their 
magnificent temple, the only one of its kind in the country. 

The Editorial i^arty remained in Guthrie three days, every 
minute of which time was crowded with interest and pleasure. 
The next stop was at Enid, a thriving town about seventy-five 
miles soutliAvest of Guthrie. The citizens of Enid Avere hospi- 
tality itself to the visitors, and the three hours spent in Enid 
were passed pleasantly at a brief entertainment at the Opera 
House, followed by a reception given by the Elks at their club 
rooms. 

Leaving Enid the sanu^ evening, we arrived at Snyder. 
Oklahoma, the following morning. A terrific cyclone had 
destroyed Snyder but a few weeks before our passing through 
that country, and it was a devastated country that lay before 
us. Clean swept of all its buildings and residences, its fields 
of grain and crops utterly destroyed, barbed wire fences torn 
down and so interwoven with debris as to be unable to extri- 
cate but little portion of the clothing and mattresses, bedding 
and so forth securely pinned in the barbs, the little town pre- 
sented a most pathetic and desolate appearance. Over a 
hundred lives were lost in the terrific storm that swept Snydev 
from the face of the map for a time. But it will only be for a 
time, for Snyder will arise again from her ch?solation as did 
historical Galveston, and in that great and glorious country 
she will again take her place. A brief stop was made at 
Lawton, the metropolis of southern Oklahoma and the capital 




Street Scene, Lawton, Oklahoma 




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14 THE LAND OF PROMISE 

of Comanche county. As we were four hours late in our sched- 
ule and had only an hour's time at Lawton, this did not permit 
of our visiting Fort Sill, as had heen planned, but our train 
stopped for a few minutes when near the Fort and the Fourth 
United States cavalry was drawn up on dress parade for our 
inspection. 

Brief stops were made at Anadarko and El Eeno. We 
reached Chickasha late in the afternoon and were entertained 
at a grand barbecue, where tables were laid for 700. The meat 
had all been cooked barbecue style in the open air and wa? 
delicious. We had but an hour in Chickasha, which is in 
Indian Territory, and a very interesting toAvn. We were splen- 
didly entertained at Oklahoma City, our next stop. This city 
had raised $5,000 for our entertainment. Oklahoma City is 
a city of 35,000 inhabitants and is one of the most progressive 
in the territory. There is considerable rivalry between Guthrie 
and Oklahoma City. But the cities are mnch the same, both 
thrifty, splendid western cities and i)opulated by energetic, 
progressive people. A splendid banquet at Delmar Gardens 
Avas served to our party during a frightful rain storm. From 
Oklahoma City we returned to Guthrie, from which point the 
entire party were taken to Bliss, Oklahoma, on Sunday, June 
11th, where the party visited Miller Brothers' ranch 101. This 
ranch consists of 87,000 acres of land, most of Avhich is rented 
from the Indians. Here a most unusual entertainment took 
place. 

At the first streak of daAvn the trains began carrying 
excursionists to the ranch, Avhere a Avonderful day of Indian 
sports and games, a barbecue of buffalo meat and a buffalo 
chase Avere to be given at noon. Forty thousand people con- 
gregated. 

Imagine thousands of acres of beautiful rolling country 
flecked here and there Avith timberlands and picturesque small 
streams, tAvo or three dozen spotless white tents dotting the 
fragrant meadowlands and hundreds upon hundreds of horses, 
carriages and ponies on every side. Under the largest tent 
of all the tables were spread for the banquet given by the 



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LAND OF THE FAIR GOD 19 

Miller Brothers to the Editors. The long tables fairly groaned 
with good things. Waiters passed the barbecued buffalo meat 
in huge washtubs. Thirty bands of music were scattered over 
the mammoth grounds. A grand amphitheater had been 
enclosed with barbed wire netting. After dinner was over the 
grand stand l)egan to fill. At two o'clock the sports began. 
A regular wild Avest show followed. A splendid procession 
lead by Geronimo, the great Indian chief, who has been a pris- 
oner at Fort Sill for fifteen years, guarded by soldiers. About 
500 Indians and 300 cowboys took part in the program, Avliich 
was most interesting. Indian games, LaCrosse and ball, roping 
and throwing steers, rough riding, bucking broncos, etc. The 
most wonderful feat of all was performed by a colored man, 
who caught and thrcAV a steer by his teeth. 

Leaving Guthrie the next morning about three o'clock, we 
arrived at Cleveland, Oklahoma, in time for breakfast and were 
treated to a novel entertainment by the citizens of that place. 
We Avere taken to the Ohio and Indiana Oil Company's wells, 
where a new oil Avell Avas "shot." This is done by placing 
a quantity of nitroglycerine in the Avell and then dropping 
a "go-devil" ontt) it. The explosion opens up the Avell and the 
oil gushes out. TIoAvever, the oil Avell shot for our benefit was 
someAvhat of a fizzle, for the stream shot from the Avell Avas 
fcmall and lasted but several minutes. The oil industry is an 
important one in Cleveland. There are hundreds of oil Avells 
in that locality, but the price of oil is so Ioav that oAvners prefer 
w^aiting for a better market. 

The next stop Avas at Tulsa, Indian Territory. Tulsa over- 
looks the Arkansas riA^er valley, has a mild climate and pure 
Avater. This city of 7,200 people affords excellent schools, 
banks, churches, neAvspapers, and is groAving vigorously. It 
has fiA'e railroads. The manufacturer here finds his raAv materi- 
als right at hand. Ioav freight rates, best labor, fuel at equiA'a- 
lent of coal at 60 cents per ton, and a groAving market for his 
products. 



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22 THE LAND OF PROMISE 

At Tulsa the special was met by two hundred carriages an A 
a*brass hand, and onr party Avas escorted to a large hall and 
banqueted there at noon on the 12th. A brief stop was made 
at ]\Iuskogee for supper. 

As I Avrite this letter I can look from the car window and 
\iew this beautiful country noAV at its l)est. I passed through 
Indian Territory in 1889, three days before the Territory was 
cpened, and the change in the space of sixteen years is cer- 
tainly remarkable. Where great tracts of waste, overrun Avith 
Indians and outlaws, who were a menace to the civilization and 
development of any country, were, I find a very different con- 
dition today. 

Oklahoma and Indian Territory, so long denied statehood 
on account of the lawlessness of the country, are now seeking 
the privilege of adding another star to the American flag. 
Here beautiful fertile hills and valleys are covered Avith fine 
herds of cattle. Waving fields of golden wheat glisten in the 
sun. The cotton plants are now four inches high. Her cities 
and toAvns, which have sprung up like magic, contain as tine 
buildings as our own at home. The women, stately and edu- 
cated, men rugged, splendid and ambitious, have left the 
crowded cities of the states and have sought a new home, a 
new country. They are bringing into existence a generation 
of healthy, ambitious young Americans which would be a credit 
to any state in the Union. 

These people are hampered to a certain extent b.y the law 
which gives to every Indian man, woman and child 160 acres 
of the best land in the Indian Nation. It makes no difference 
if the Indian family contains ten children, each one of thos3 
children is allotted l)y the Government at AVashington 160 
acres of the best land, absolutely free of any tax. The taxes 
are borne by their Avhite brothers, who groan beneath an 
unnecessary burden. It has been said that the Indian was not 
properly treated in years gone by. That may be true, but 
ample atonement is certainly being made noAV, for they are 
luxuriating on the fat of the land. A race so absolutely shift- 



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THE LAND OF PROMISE 



less as to be unwilling to cultivate the choice farms they own. 
Rather than work their acres they rent to the whites, who till 
them and cultivate the products of the field. This land is so 
rich that anything and everything may be grown on it. Alfalfa 
grows luxuriantly in this climate. Five crops in one year is 
a common occurrence. 

One of the regrettable conditions of this ownership of 
valuable land by one family is that the Indians intermarry 
with the negroes very promiscuously. Now it matters not 
what other blood runs in the child's veins, if even one-sixteenth 
Indian blood can be i:)roven the child is entitled to its 160 acres 
of land. This brings into existence a deplorable condition of 
affairs. The Indians of the Territory are all wealthy, and the 
Indian maidens are eagerly sought after by white men, and 
innunu'ral)le marriages have been the result. 

But outside of these drawbacks, Oklahoma and Indian 
Territory are destined to be the Mecca for ambitious men and 
women. With their fertile lands, their great gas and oil wells. 
their rich mineral wealth so long hidden in the Wichita moun- 
tains, Oklahoma and Indian Territory offer every inducement 
to healthy and ambitious men wishing to earn success by work- 
ing for it, to go west to grow up witli this splendid country. 




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Courtesy 150,000 Club 



CHAPTER II. 

The Lone Star State. 

June 12, 1905. 

WE are now traveling across one small section of the 
great state of Texas, the home of the pioneer cattle- 
men. The magnitnde of this wonderful state can l)e 
imagined when I state that we will cover 1,500 miles from Den- 
nison. Texas, to El Paso, and have merely skirted the horder 
of this immense tract of land. It is claimed here that Texas 
is larger than Illinois, New York and Pennsylvania put to- 
gether. "We have passed through the great oil and natural 
gas well belts. Texas produces one-third the sugar output 
of the world and tAventy per cent, the output of cotton. 

The first city in Texas that we stopped at for any length 
of time was Dallas. It is a splendid city of 100,000 inhabi- 
tants. Handsome public buildings, beautiful, spacious south- 
ern mansions and a fine park, add to the natural beauties 
of this thrifty city, Avhose boast it is that the next census will 
reveal a jump from 100,000 to 150,000 inhabitants. Our train 
was met at Dallas by the prominent business men of that city 
and a brass band, and our party was escorted to the Commer- 
cial Club, where an impromptu reception was held. An hour 
iater four special electric cars conveyed us to the fair grounds, 
where a bounteous luncheon was served. A vaudeville per- 
formance followed, interspersed with speeches by the mayor 
and several other prominent Texans. In the afternoon the 
ladies of the Elks Lodge gave a reception and musicale to our 
party in their magnificent club house. This is the finest Elks 
home that we have had the pleasure of visiting. We spent 
a day and an evening in Dallas. 

We arrived at Houston, Texas, the next day. The number 
of fine magnolia trees to be found there has caused it to be 
called the Magnolia City. 



LONE STAR STATE 31 

We visited ]Ma<i'nolia l*ark and saAv some splendid trees 
covered Avith the unsurpassed liloonis. The flower is siniihir 
to our water lily but much larger, being the size of a dinner 
plate. The odor is clinging and pungent, of such heavy fra- 
grance as to make it nauseating in a short time. 

Houston is a splendid city and located in the center of the 
cotton belt. We visited her great cotton warehouses and saw 
cotton handled in every stage from the raw material to the 
finished product ready for shipment. 

At Ilarrisburg Park, under the shade of fine oak trees 
luxuriantly draped and festooned by nature with great ropes 
of greyish moss peculiar to that portion of the country, a 
bountiful luncheon had been laid, and our party did ample 
justice to the collation while listeniiig to a fine address by a 
prominent judge of that city. 

Leaving Houston at six in the evening, we arrived at San 
Antonio the following morning. The scene here surpassed 
our wildest dream or imagination of the picturesque. Narrow, 
winding streets, low houses of Spanish architecture with broad 
porches extending to the curbing, beautiful plazas, or squares, 
as we v\^ould call them at home, most artistically laid out, 
presenting for the edification of the public the handsomest 
lare plants to be found in tropical or semi-tropical countries. 
There are twenty-one of these parks and plazas in San Antonio, 
the majority of them within easy reach of the center of the 
city, and all told embrace 3271/2 acres. Winding and well 
kept drives through groves of oak and pecan trees reach and 
skirt the San Antonio river and lakes. The aim has been to 
preserve the natural beauty of the park, but as restful features, 
available sections have been terraced in miniature and deco- 
rated with rare plants and flowers, which impregnate refresh- 
ing breezes with most delicate perfumes. 

But it was not the beautiful parks and ])lazas that we came 
to San Antonio to see. It was the wonderful, world-renowned, 
historical Alamo. 



LONE STAR STATE 33 

San Antonio was settled in 1689. The Alamo, Alamo Plaza, 
was built in 1718. 

Governor Antonio Cordero was the first of four governors 
to occupy the Governor's Palace. He was tried for treason, 
executed, and his head was placed upon a pole where the city 
hall now stands. 

The Veramendi Palace was occupied by Governor Vera- 
mendi, who was the father-in-law of Colonel James Bowie. 

Eight battles for the independence of Texas were fought 
in and around San Antonio between the years 1776 and 1836 

Santa Anna invaded San Antonio February 23, 1836, in 
command of a force estimated at from 4,000 to 6,000 soldiers, 
and Colonel Travis and his men were driven into the Alamo, 
the Travis force consisting of but 188 men. After a siege 
of eleven days the Alamo fell on March 6, 1836, and the entire 
garrison was killed and their bodies burned. Colonel W. B. 
Travis, James Bowie, Davy Crockett, J. B. Bonham and J. 
Washington were the officers defending the Alamo. 

The battle of San Jacinto was fought on April 21, 1836. 
"Remember the Alamo!" was the slogan. Santa Anna was 
at last defeated and captured, which ended the war and gave 
Texas independence. 

At an early day retreat might have been made with some 
losses, but the heroic band believed their death would serve 
their country better than ignoble fiight. And it will be noted 
that while the number besieged originally was but 150, yet 
during its continuance thirty-two others fought their way in 
to share the closing massacre. At the end of eleven days the 
sacrifice was completed — all dead ! 

Travis, the commander, fell at his post of duty on the wall , 
Bowie, in bed so sick he could not rise to receive the bayonet 
thrust of the foe, was murdered where he lay ; David Crockett, 
the famous, died behind a rampart of assailants he had slain 
There was no chivalrous recognition of valor ; the last defender 
died. On the monument Texas has inscribed : "Thermop^^lae 
had its messenger of defeat; the Alamo had none." 



LONE STAR STATE 35 

It is evident that the tragedy enacted within the walls of 
the Alamo that day fired the heart of patriotism, for shortly 
after the Lone Star waved in trinmph. 

Last bnt not least we visited the old Spanish missions, 
San Jnan and San Jose. These rnins are in excellent condi- 
tion when tlie length of time that has i)assed since their con- 
strnction by the Indians two centnries ago is considered. They 
are built of cement. San Jose has some beautiful carving on 
the cupola and lintels. Great pecan and peppin- trees shade the 
mission. For a pittance a guide shows the tourist everything 
of interest. We walked through the crum])ling corridor where 
the monks were wont in years gone by to pace to and fro, tell 
ing their beads and reading their breviaries. A green and 
mottled lizard wriggled in our lead and a big horned toad 
blinked at us hizily from a convenient rock, where he sat sun- 
ning himself. The air was heavy with the fragrance of the 
tropics. The Christ painted on the mission walls is nearly 
obliterated by the hand of time. The great cement oven is 
fast falling into dtn-ay. 

AVe took a trolley ride to Fort Houston, the second largest 
fort in the LTnited States, having a standing army of 2,500 men. 

From San Antonio to El Paso we passed through some 
wonderful scenery. Great cactus plants of every species and 
gigantic palms were growing wild. jNIile after mile of moun- 
tain ranges lift their l)lue, Imzy peaks to the hot, pitiless sun 
shiniuff from the bluest of blue skies. 



CHAPTER III. 
El Paso, the Gateway to Mexico. 

June 16, 1905. 

A TRACT of land from ten to twenty miles Avicle. travers- 
ing New Mexico from north to sonth. Within this val- 
ley are located the thrifty cities of Albnqnerqne, San 
Marcial, Las Crnces and El Paso. The rapid growth of these 
cities establishes the fact- -without a question of a doubt — 
of the wonderful producing quality and fertility of the soil 
in this valley. The Rio Grande river, however, is somewhat 
irregular and uncertain in its flow, and cannot ])e depended 
upon to furnish all the water needed for irrigation. The river 
supply is therefore supplemented by pumping from the inex- 
haustible and constant underflow, which passes down the val- 
ley and underlies all the irrigable land within a few feet from 
the surface. 

AVhen properly irrigated the soil is capable of producing 
p. greater variety of vegetables, fruits and grains than any 
other portion in this section of the country. 

The altitude of El Paso is 3,800 and gradually rises to 5,000 

feet at Albuquerque. 

The climatic conditions are nearly perfect. Thousands of 
invalids come here yearly, returning to their homes so bene- 
fited in health that they are living testimonials of the wonder- 
ful healing properties of this climate. 

El Paso, formerly Paso Del Norte, the pass of the north, 
going from Old IMexico to New, has a virile business life; its 
people are aggressive and wide awake. There are many noble 
public buildings, United States custom house, and court build- 
ings, and some beautiful residences. At the foot of ]\Iount 



38 



THE LAND OF PROMISE 



Franklin is a eolony of tents. It is called Consumption Villa., 
as it is the home of health-seeking- people. The climate is 
nearly the same the year round. 

Forty miles west of El Paso are beds of lava from preliis 
toric volcanoes, which, and the old crater, are visil)le to the 
south. 




A Mexican Cane- Vender 

Conrfi'sy "JYafional Lines of Mexico' 



CHAPTER IV. 

" Mexico es el pais mas y mas hermoso en el Mimdo." — Gen. 

Grant. 

LATE in the afternoon of Jnne 16th, we arrived in El 
Paso, Texas. A iMexiean brass band met our party at 
the train and escorted them by special trolley cars 
across the Pio (Jrande River, the dividing line between Texas 
and Old ^lexico, to the quaint little town of Jaurez, 

We were taken to the custom house, where the mayor and 
the prominent citizens of the city held a reception. The 
leception rooms of the custom house were beautifully decorated 
with Howers. Two dozen or more handsome senoras of the 
purest Castilian type received the visitors. Dainty little senor- 
itas flitted in and out of the gay throng, dispensing refresh- 
ments. These women were the wives and daughters of Mex- 
ico's highest dignitaries, and representative of the highest 
type of culture and refinement in Mexico. 

After the reception we were allowed to stroll at will, 
Ihrough the quaint, narrow, crooked streets of the city. 

We were much interested in the houses, which are mostly 
of adobe. They are square and box-like in shape and flat on 
top. There is an interior court or plaza where beautiful flowers 
and palms are grown. Some of the wealthiest people live in 
adobe houses, as they are the most practical for that climate. 
The Avails, which are from six to twelve inches thick, exclude 
the heat, making these residences very cool and pleasant 
inside. 

The Bull Ring is in the heart of the city. It is a large 
amphitheater where the bull fights are held. The building will 
accommodate S.OOO people, and is a fine adobe structure sur- 




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Plowing with a "Wooden Plow 

Courtesy '■''National Lines of Mexico" 




Coiirtiii;^- in Mexico 
Courfi'.ny "'XafioiKil L'uux of Mi^.viro'' 



MEXICO ES EL PAIS MAS Y MAS HERMOSO EN EL MUNDO 43 

rounded by a hi<ih Avail of the same material. Fastened to the 
gate was a placard announcing a great bull fight for the fol- 
lowing Sunday. 

The streets are crowded with the funniest little low-ceil- 
inged curio stores, where beautiful trinkets are on sale. The 
most unusual curios are seen in these quaint little shops 
Beautiful mottled wildcat pelts, armadillo baskets made from 
the entire animal, the shell back forming the basket, the tail, 
which is thrust in the mouth of the animal, forming the handle 

We remained but two hours in Jaurez, returning to El Paso. 
The Eio Grande is very high and has again overflowed its 
banks. It is not a picturesque stream, being muddy and filled 
with whirlpools and rapids. 

Our entire trip through Texas was filled with interest and 
most enjoyable, made doubly pleasant hy the fact that the 
locomotives used on the railroads are oil-burning machines, 
using oil for fuel instead of coal, hence there are no cinders to 
incommode the tourist, and the sight-seeing from open car 
windows is a pleasure, free from the dust and grime of ordi- 
nary travel. 




Irrigating;' Canal, Phoenix, Arizona 




An Arizona Date Palm 



CHAPTER y. 
The Great Arizona Desert. 

June 18, 1905. 

ON leaving El Paso, Texas, we crossed the great Arizona 
desert, which lies between Texas and California. 
Leaving El Paso in the evening, at sunset we passed 
through beautiful mountain ranges, towering on either side 
like gigantic sentinels. Slowly the crimson sun sunk behind 
the ruged rock-ribbed mountains, painting as with an artist's 
brush wielded by an immortal hand, great shafts of richest 
crimson, gold and purple rays. After several hours of glorious 
twilight, the moon arose behind the snow-capped peak of a 
distant mountain, lighting up the scene with the magic touch 
of a fairy wand. Softly and silently in the bright moonlight, 
a beautiful fleecy-white cloud floated over the crest of the 
snow-peaked mountain, and, like the soft, white hand of a 
babe nestling in its mother's bosom, it lay lovingly and con- 
tentedly in the grand old mountain's embrace. 

The scene changes in the morning. The mountains are 
gone, and in their place are great, ever-shifting sand dunes 
that lift their glistening peaks to the hot-pitiless sun that fairly 
dazzles the eyes with its fierce rays. Beautiful palms and 
weird species of cacti can be seen on all sides. A little mound 
of stones with a small wooden cross tells its own pathetic 
gtory of folded childish hands. 

The ground is a dull, dead gray mixture, part sand and part 
alkali dust. Vegetation is encrusted with the grayish dust 
of the desert. The air is like a blast from a furnace. The 
dust sifts into the car windows in spite of every precaution. 
The windows and doors are kept closed or the ride would be 
unendurable. It is almost unbearable at that, as the cars are 




Young Indian Woman and Papoose 



THE GREAT ARIZONA DESERT 47 

hot and the air soon becomes stifling. A window is opened 
in desperation, bnt is closed as quickly after one blast of the 
desert's scorching breath. 

Tucson, the beautiful Arizonian metropolis of the desert, 
comes like a draught of cool water to the parched traveler. 
It has a history rich iu anecdotes of the Spanish conquerors 
and of the American invaders who came to the scuithwest after 
the Gadsden purchase. Its climate is superb. The dry air and 
altitude make it a natural sanitarium for those affected with 
throat and lung ti'oublcs. The Roman Catholic sisters maintain 
a complete hospital ami sanitarium just west of the city, for 
tubercular palieuts. 

Although a lively frontier town in those days. Tucson was 
not destined to become an important jxiiut until the Southern 
Pacific railroad arrived in the year 188-1. This event quite 
naturally revolutionized the frontier post ; new industries were 
established, the rich mining country around Tucson was 
opened up, and the soldiers having i)acified the Indians, 
marched away. But for all of this the old Mexican pue])lo 
still retained its relics of the past, its narrow streets lined 
with adobes remained unchanged, and the large ^Mexican popu- 
lation clung to the old customs. It has only been in the past 
few years that Tucson has emerged from a somewhat obscure 
jjast to find herself a modern city in every sense of the word; 
a great business center and the metropolis of a rapidly growing 
territory, rich m natural resources. 

While the history of the early days in Tucson is a remark- 
able one. the story of her recent transformation from a quaint 
old ^Mexican pueblo to a modern American city is not less 
marvelous. In the past few years the city has been practically 
lebuilt, but the many new structures have not taken from 
Tucson her foreign flavor, as the designers have preserved in 
these new buildings the most picturesque features of the I\Iex- 
iean architecture, and many of her new buildings are of Aztec 
design. 



48 THE LAND OP PROMISE 

Tucson is the liealthseeker's paradise, and aeeommodates 
more tourists during the year than probably any other city in 
the United States. 

Another day of desert travel and we reach Yuma, Arizona,, 
said to be the hottest place in America. Any number of adobe 
Imts can be seen from the train. Native women and children 
clamor among the passengers at the depot, trying to sell 
souvenirs. They are a motley throng with their swarthy faces 
and coal black hair. Yuma is a stock-raising and agricultural 
city. 

The departure westward from Yuma for five miles is 
through a bush-covered river valley with huts here and there, 
comprising part of an Indian reservation. Colorado river is 
a pleasant sight at the southward. The way is then through 
a section of barren, pebl^le-strewn hills, the conspicuous moun- 
tain called Pilot's Knob in the near vicinity at the south. 

Five miles east of the station of Volcano the train leaves 
a remarkable depression, the bed of an ancient sea. This vol- 
cano station named itself through a spring of sulphuric mud 
and water of temperature to suggest internal fires. It is said 
that one adventurous person who wanted to know too much 
traversed the elastic and yielding crust until the growing heat 
had penetrated the soles of his footwear and given him burns 
that nearly made him a cripple for life. 

A few miles farther on we reach Salton. The feature here 
is the salt production. On the south side may be seen a number 
of buildings for handling and storing the salt, and there are 
huge piles of it in the crude state. A tramway leads to a lower 
level, where the salt is garnered. The concentrated brine rises 
through the earth in a capillary way, the liquifying water \.i 
driven off by solar heat, and a crust of comparatively pure 
table salt forms in readiness for the saltman's scraper or plow. 
It is hard to realize that in early days the ocean surface was 
L'63 feet above your head. 



THE GREAT ARIZONA DESERT 



49 



Through some curious phenomena of nature a great portion 
of this salt bed is now inundated unexpectedly and without 
apparent cause. It is called Salt Lake, for a great sea of water 
nearly forty miles long and several miles wide covers this great 
salt bed, and has destroyed millions of dollars' worth of 
machinery and property. It has only been within the last six 
months that this phenomena has reappeared. 





Capistrano Mission, between Los Angeles and 
San Diego, California 

Courtesy Rock Island System 



CHAPTER VI. 
California the Beautiful. 

June 20, 1905. 

OUT of the great gray waste of the desert, Riverside, 
(California, greets the tourist like a glimpse of 
paradise. 

The city itself is surrounded by great orange groves, the 
trees of Avhieh are always covered with fruit and blossoms at 
the same time. We had the unique experience of plucking 
oranges, figs and lemons from the trees. Riverside is a city 
of beautiful avenues bordered by magnolia, pepper and palm 
trees, accented here and there by ornate and stately residences. 

Sixty miles from Riverside is Los Angeles, the metropolis 
of southern California, boasting of 170,000 inhabitants. Pro- 
jected on lines of beauty with curves and angles, streets well 
paved and cleanly, traversed by commodius cars, beautiful 
parks, handsome residences and fine public buildings, it is the 
Mecca of southern California. 

Pasadena, the home of wealth, is probably the most artis- 
tically beautiful city on this continent. Residences of grandeur, 
semi-tropical flowers and trees all combine to produce a second 
Eden. Here the traveler sees hedges of geraniums from six 
to ten feet in height. Roses of every color and description 
fill the air with their delicious perfume. What we call ribbon- 
grass in the middle west grows to a height of twelve feet in 
California. Acres of land are devoted to the cultivating of 
calla lilies. It is a beautiful sight to pass through these great 
fields of lilies, a sea of white blossoms. We traversed about 
three miles through one immense tract of land devoted to the 
cultivation of sweet peas of every color and variety. 




Garden Scene, Hotel Del Monte 



CALIFORNIA THE BEAUTIFUL 53 

Mount Lowe is reached by electric cars. We found the 
trip most unicjue and a novel experience. The instep of the 
mountain's foot being reached, the cable incline railway gives 
safe and exciting transit to Echo Mountain House, 3,500 feet 
above ocean level. Upward 1,500 feet by railway we reached 
"Ye Alpine Tavern." If the tourist desires to reach the actual 
summit he must traverse the rest of the way by saddle animals 
to mountain fastnesses that shall feast the imagination with 
its marvelous grandeur. A most spectacular and thrilling 
trip. 

From Los Angeles we took a run over to San Pedro, which 
is a quaint, thrifty seaport town, twenty-seven miles from Los 
Angeles, of which it is the harbor. The original harbor was at 
Santa Monica, where for half a decade the ocean commerce 
of Los Angeles had centered. In reality there was no harbor 
there; it was merely an open roadstead, until the Southern 
Pacific Railway built a long breakwater and thus furnished 
all the shelter necessary under ordinary circumstances. But 
commercially the necessity for a more extended harbor with 
permanent safety was felt and the national government was 
asked to build one. After a Jong-drawn-out fight, San Pedro 
Avon. Since that time San Pedro has blossomed from an insig- 
nificant fishing village to an important seaport town. 

The government has built a breakwater three miles long 
to protect the entrance to a little river which has been dredge i 
out for a mile and a half. Ten million dollars have been 
appropriated by congress to build a gigantic sea wall. The 
work has been commenced, and it will take ten years to com- 
plete it. It is claimed that San Pedro is the largest lumber 
market on the Pacific coast; it also claims the largest sardine 
cannery in the world. It is a town of over 7,000 people, and 
is progressive and growing rapidly. 

From San Pedro we took a steamer for Santa Catalina, 
called "The Magic Isle of the Pacific." It was a beautiful day 
with a stiff breeze a-blowing. The sea was fairly smooth, but 
■\ery few on board escaped seasickness. Our attention was 




San Gabriel Mission, nine miles east of Los Angeles 



CALIFORNIA THE BEAUTIFUL 55 

attracted to what seemed to be small birds skirting the waters 
of the bay. We watched their maneuvers interestedly and 
noticed that after speeding swiftly through the air from fifteen 
to twenty feet they would sink into the sea again. We were 
lold that they were flying fish. We saw a great many during 
the trip. 

The approach to Catalina Island presents a picture which 
can never be forgotten. The placid and translucent waters of 
the deepest blue fairly teem with every form of marine and 
piscine life. As the steamer casts anchor a number of small 
boats lay along side. Divers with glistening bodies of statu- 
esque bronze are poised ready to dive into the crystal waters 
for coins thrown by the passengers. So adept are they in their 
art that the coin scarcely touches the water before like an 
arrow from the bow the diver, with a panther-like spring, 
strikes the water and seizes the coin in his teeth. It is a splen- 
did exhibition of skill. 

Glass-bottom boats are scattered over the water and for a 
quarter the tourist can see the pearly depths of the bay. This 
is called crystalized fairyland. We gazed upon the wonders 
of the deep. Weird, uncanny fish with round, curious eyes are 
seen through the glass bottom of the boat. Beautiful sea moss 
and flowers trail their graceful lengths over the shell-strewn 
floor of the sea. 

At Santa Barbara we visited the Mission Santa Barbara 
Virgin y Martyr. This is one of the best preserved of Califor- 
nia missions. It was founded December 4, 1786, and is within 
the city limits. It is the home of the Franciscan Fathers. 
Prayer at its altars has never ceased. We were shown through 
the building, which is in a splendid state of preservation. 
Rosaries made of Job's tears which were grown and made by 
the monks, were on sale for 50 cents each. Brother Dorotheas 
showed our party many interesting things. In his coarse, long, 
brown habit with thrown-back cowl and bare, sandaled feet 
he presented a splendid picture. The mission has a beautiful 
garden, through which we were shown. It is strictly private, 




Ostrich Farm, Pasadena 



CALIFORNIA THE BEAUTIFUL 

and our being allowed the privilege of going through these 
grounds and private sepulchre was an unusual courtesy. A 
brother led us to a granite sepulchre. A narrow door was the 
only entrance for light. Here, sealed in narrow apertures with 
but a paneled inscription bearing the name and dates of birth 
and death, sleep the Franciscan Fathers who passed from life 
in the shelter of the peaceful monastery walls. There are but 
four empty tombs left. 

From the mission we took an eighteen-mile ride over the 
mountains by coaches. It was a most magnificent drive. 
Downward, looking through topmost tree bows, we saw fertile 
farms and picturesque farm houses, orchards laden with fruit, 
oranges, lemons, figs, guava apples, olives and plums. Little 
Jiamlets nestling cozily in the peaceful valleys, the mountains 
towering around and above them, wild flowers, lichens, mosses 
and great trees covered the mountain sides. Golden grain 
ripe for the harvest gleamed below in the valley. The road 
was so narrow that we fairly held our breath when the four 
trusty horses made a perilous curve. The outside hind wheei 
beat the air, but on we went, swaying crazily from side to side, 
happily but fearfully expectant. 

Our party made a visit to Del Monte the beautiful, and 
enjoyed the splendid hotel park grounds. We took a little run 
by electric car to quaint Monterey, one of the oldest towns 
in California. A visit to the old IMonterey mission was made. 

Within a circle of six miles about Monterey are more 
objects of sacred, historic, romantic and scenic interest than 
can be found within any other similar area in California. 

Along these shores Cabrillo coasted in 1542, and on Novem- 
ber 15th named the land-fall "Cabo de Pinos" and the shel- 
tered waters "Bahia de los Pinos." 

In 1603 Sebastian Vizcaino discovered Carmel river on the 
14th of December, and on the 16th rounded Punta de Piilos 
and landed at Monterey. In 1770, June 3d, Junipero Serra 
founded a mission, San Carlos Borromeo, on a spot near the 
beach within the limits of the present municipality. The 




A Fallen Monarch 



CALIFORNIA THE BEAUTIFUL 59 

ashes of Serra and some of the fraters loved by him, including 
Crespi (the brother of his soul), repose beneath the altar; and 
the form of worship he established one hundred and thirty 
years ago still continues in celebration of high mass once each 
year. A monument to his memory, the gift of Mrs. Leland 
Stanford, occupies a commanding place in the suburbs of 
Monterey, overlooking the bay. 

Monterey has a great number of old buildings tottering 
under the weight of a century. Wandering on, following the 
coast line, we reached Pacific Grove, a picturesque little place 
with the only Chinese fishing village in America. The place is 
on the beach, and consists of probably fifty or sixty rude huts 
inhabited by Chinese fishermen and their families. Long, Ioav 
tables are near the water's edge, where the fish are placed to 
dry. This is quite an industry. Near the village, at the foot 
of the cliffs, are great jagged rocks which can be reached at ebb 
tide. ]Myriads of crabs can be picked up from between these 
rocks. We found some beautiful specimens of abilona shells, 
which we cut from the rocks, and some splendid specimens of 
star fish and sea urchins. 

Santa Cruz was reached at two o'clock in the afternoon. 
There was a great hustling of our party to go in surf bathing- 
Santa Cruz is the greatest summer and waiter resort in Cali- 
fornia. Half a million dollars were spent in improvements for 
public amusements on this the finest beach on the Pacific coast. 
A splendid afternoon was passed in the surf. In the evening 
a fine concert and reception was given in honor of our party 
at the Casino, a beautiful beach resort. Bright and early the 
next morning our party was conveyed by carriages to Big 
Trees, five miles from Santa Cruz. A delightful drive in the 
cool of the morning, through gorgeous mountain scenery, 
brought us to where a delicious breakfast was waiting us 
under the Big Trees. This is the largest grove of Sequoia 
Sempervirens in the world. We were shown through by the 
guides and saw the difi:'erent famous trees. These wonderful 
trees, in the hollow trunk of which fifty persons can stand 
comfortably, are a positive revelation to those who have not 




In the Surf, Santa Cruz, California 



CALIFORNIA THE BEAUTIFUL 61 

seen siicli mammoths before. Some of them, as they stand, 
have hollows in their bases equal to the temporary honsint,' 
of a family. Shelter within one of them was sought by Fre- 
mont before "Days of old, days of gold, days of '49," was 
sung. 

A breakfast consisting of the choicest of viands and Cali- 
fornia vintages followed. It was a magnificent sight, a thor- 
oughly tropical scene. Imagine 326 people seated at beauti- 
fully decorated tables under the shade of these majestic 
monarchs of the forest. There was the silence and subdued 
light of the forest and the twittering of birds. A Hawaiian 
band dispensed the beautiful, weird music of their country.. 
Soon the welkin rang with happy shouts of laughter. When 
Ave returned to our special train we found that the ladies oP 
Santa Cruz had taken possession of the Pullmans and con- 
verted them into perfect bowers of beautiful blossoms and 
golden fruits. Great crates of oranges and figs were stacked 
up in the baggage car for our consumption. 

This charming coast country lies about midway between 
the northern and southern boundaries of the state of Cali- 
fornia. 

Santa Cruz city lies eighty miles southeast of San Francisco 
and thirty miles soutliAvest of San Jose, on the north shore of 
Monterey Bay, just within the point that separates the bav 
from the ocean. 

Santa Cruz county, of which Santa Cruz is the county seat, 
has an area of 320,000 acres. Nearly all of this is capable of 
tillage, and at least 40,000 acres of bottom land are fertile 
beyond belief. The county has some fifty miles of coast along 
the Pacific Ocean and Monterey Bay. From this thousands 
of acres of farming land rise in terraces to the summits of the 
Santa Cruz Mountains, forming an amphitheater of almost 
perfect aspect. 

The climate is indeed ideal. No enervating heat — no icy 
chill. It is claimed that between summer and winter there 




Street in Chinatown 

Chinatown is included in that part of San 
Francisco bounded by Kearny, Stockton, 
California and Pacific Streets, and while 
thus surrounded closely by the life of a great 
American city, is as complety isolated as if it 
were in the midst of the Flowery Kingdom 



CALIFORNIA THE BEAUTIFUL 63 

is SO little ditrerence that the same clothing is worn at all 
times. 

Leaving Santa Cruz, we passed through San Jose. San 
Jose is the home of apricots and prunes, and sends forth an 
abundance of peaches, plums, pears, apples, table grapes, wines, 
nuts, small fruits, seeds, and vegetables. 

We had expected to have the pleasure of visiting Palo 
Alto, the home of the Leland Stanford University, but a flying 
glimpse was all we had of the splendid buildings surrounded 
by extensive grounds. 

Our next stop was San Francisco, where we spent two days. 

Chaperoned by thirty special policemen, our party was 
shown Chinatown by gaslight, that intensely interesting settle- 
ment where over 50,000 Chinese live packed like herrings in 
a box, in an area of less than ten square blocks. We saw them 
m their homes and shops, their mode of life and business 
They Avatched us curiously from between their narrow slits 
of eyelids. Some were sullen and suspicious, others good 
natured and curious. One of the men carried a cunning little 
Chinese baby in his arms and the women of our party clustered 
around the little one and oh'd and ah'd until another China- 
man standing in close proximity exclaimed in good English, 
"I guess they never saw a China baby before," and then the 
crowd roared and the women passed on. 

We were piloted through an old dilapidated tenement house 
and were assured by our guide that it was the place where 
seven Chinese lost their lives a few years ago during an out- 
break by the Chinese Highbinders. The walls of dingy, dirty 
plaster were splashed with big, ugly blotches of what we were 
told was human blood of the victims. While we were mount- 
ing the stairs a vicious, yellow face appeared at the head of 
them. "What you want?" was asked angrily?" 

"Never mind, John; we want to look around a little," said 
the guide. 

"You go 'long 'bout your business," said the man, 
viciously. 



CALIFORNIA THE BEAUTIFUL 



65 



"Now see here, my boy, don't you get too fresh. You just 
go inside that door and close your face or you will be sorry," 
said the officer, sternly. 

The door closed with a terrific bang, and a number of the 
women of the party were in favor of not proceeding any 
farther, but the detective assured them there was no dange'.' 
whatever, so on we went. 

Owing to the size of our party it was impossible to be taken 
through some of the places of greatest interest, but we saw 
enough of the conditions that exist in 'Frisco's Chinatown to 
wonder how long they can exist and be tolerated in a civilized 
country. 

"We visited beautiful Golden Gate Park. This thousand- 
acre pleasure principality extends for more than three miles 
from the western margin of the city to the ocean's beach, and 
is a delight to the tourist. North of the park, at the beach, is 
the picturesque Cliff House and Seal Rocks. Here the visitor 
is regaled by the unusual sight of seeing ocean-washed rocks 
covered with a regular seal colony, whose unwieldly gambols 
and contests for position are endless sources of amusement to 
the onlookers. Our two days at San Francisco were crowded 
full of interest. 





Cliff House and Seal Kocks, San Francisco 

San Francisco is probably the only city in the world 
where one can, from the open doors of a pleasure resort 
within the city limits, find sea lions bliukiuff at him 
only a stone's throw away. 



CHAPTER VII. 
Mount Tamalpais. 

June 23, 1905. 

ONE of the most enjoyable experiences, however, was 
the trip we took from San Francisco to Mount Tamal- 
pais. Four special cars conveyed us over the eight 
and one-fifth miles of mountain railroad, which winds in and 
out and forms a great bowknot on the side of this wonderful 
mountain. After two hours of travel we reached the summit. 
Great mountains covered with snow, winding rivers, verdure- 
covered foothills, and the broad expanse of the glittering Pa- 
cific Ocean lay in one glorious kaleidoscope of color before us. 
A filmy white cloud floated beneath us ; seven cities lay at our 
feet. It was a scene which filled the spectator with awe by its 
magnitude. 

The Mount Tamalpais Scenic Railway was built in 1896. 
The road is a standard broad-gauge railroad, with steam, oil- 
burning, traction locomotives of a special type. This mountain- 
climbing railway is not a cog road; it has no steep inclines; 
the grade is gradual, averaging about five feet to the hundred. 

There are 281 curves in a distance of eight and one-fifth, 
miles, during which there is an ascent of about 2,500 feet, 
nearly a half mile, the steepest grade being about seven per 
cent. If in following the tortuous course the curves had been 
continuous, there would be forty-two complete circles made. 
The longest straight piece of track is but 413 feet, and, strange 
to say, is in the crookedest part of the road — the "Double Bow- 
knot." About half way up the mountain, on a broad southern 
shoulder, where the track of the railroad parallels itself five 
times within a distance of about 300 feet, is, as the name 
denotes, an almost perfect "double bowknot." The fact of 




Broad vviiN, Los Angeles 



CALIFORNIA THE BEAUTIFUL 69 

overcoming the grades in such a short distance and in such an 
ingenious way has caused the "Double Bowknot" on Mt. 
Tamalpais to be pronounced one of the greatest of railroad 
engineering feats. 

The trip to IMt. Tamalpais may be said to begin at the 
Union Ferry Depot, foot of Market street, San Francisco, for 
there starts the ferry to Sausalito, taking a northwesterly 
course, running close to the wharves and shipping of San 
Francisco, at the same time affording an excellent view of the 
many points of interest about the bay. Telegraph Hill, with 
its houses clinging to the edge of precipitous cliffs. Fort 
Mason and the Presidio, with its military aspect, the magnifi- 
cent Golden Gate, the Berkeley shore, Alcatraz Island, with its 
Government prison and fortifications, can be plainly seen. 

At Sausalito, a pretty suburban town overlooking the bay, 
you connect with the North Shore Railroad, running along 
.Richardson's Bay to the base of the mountain, six miles dis- 
rtant, arriving at Mill Valley, known as "The Little Switzer- 
land." Stepping off the train, to your right you will find the 
cars of the IMountain Railroad in waiting. 

Through a fine forest of redwood, the wondrously beautiful 
canyon of Blithedale, past beautiful suburban homes, with 
their pretty ponds and lakes. Marsh's Japanese village and 
its quaint Oriental houses, the Mountain Railroad takes you. 
As the train climbs the elevation, the tourist sees wooded 
canyons filled with redwoods, madronas, oaks and mountain 
laurels. The trip to Mt. Tamalpais is one that will remain a 
cherished treasure in memory's halls. 

We visited Berkeley, and had a pleasant hour going 
through the University there. Our special had been trans- 
ferred from San Francisco to Oakland, 16th street, and after 
the trip to Mt. Tamalpais our party crossed the bay to Oak- 
land, and from there took the trip to Berkeley. Oakland is 
a rapidly growing, progressive city, with a population largely 
beyond its first hundred thousand, and is a favorite resident 
place for many business men of San Francisco. In approach- 



70 



THE LAND OP PROMISE 



ing Oakland the train traverses the water front of Berkeley. 
The location of this city is a beantifnl one, as it looks out 
through the Golden Gate to the ocean, more than a score of 
miles distant. The University of California, richly endowed 
and generously fostered by the State, is located here. 

We were very much interested in the Oakland Pier, which 
is at the terminus of what is called Oakland j\[ole, and extends 





"The Golden Gate," 
San Francisco, California 



City Hall, San Francisco, California 



nearly one mile into the bay, that deep water may be had for 
its fleet of ferry boats, also receiving and sheltering an endless 
throng of ships coming from all over the globe to the metrop- 
olis of the Pacific. 

At Oakland our train was put on the largest ferry boat in 
the world, and ferried over the Carquiuez Strait. This ferry 
boat can carry a train of twentj^ cars and two engines. 



CALIFORNIA THE BEAUTIFUL, 71 

Our next stop was Sacramento, the capital of California. 
It has a population of 32,000, is compactly built, and covers 
an area of about four square miles, with broad streets of an 
average width of eighty feet, and is wholly lighted by elec- 
tricity. 

Sacramento claims to be one of the earliest settled places 
in the State. In 1839, General John A. Sutter established his 
fort, which is practically the same to-day as it was when 
built. We visited the old fort and found it a very interesting- 
place, well stocked with curious relies of earlier days. We 
spent a very pleasant evening at a reception in the State 
Capitol Building, which was erected at a cost of $3,000,000 
One of the best mineral exhibits in California can be seen at 
the E. B. Crocker Art Gallery, the pride of Sacramento, which 
contains paintings valued at more than a half million dollars. 

The Southern Pacific Railway Company has its great rail- 
way shops here, covering 110 acres of ground, and employing 
over 3,000 skilled workmen. 

The beautiful Sacramento Valley is called by enthusiasts 
"The brightest jewel in the tiara of the Queen State of th.3 
Great American Eepublic." It is spoken of as "An empire be- 
fore which the petty principalities of Europe are dwarfed into 
insignificance: a territory containing fourteen counties, any-" 
of which are larger than some of those old world domains; 
f valley nearly as long as the great State of New York anl 
containing more than 3,000 scpiare miles of the finest land 
adaj^ted to farming and fruit raising." 

Overlooking the fertile Sacramento Valley towers IMount 
Shasta, whoso white-capped peak is visible to the naked eye 
( n clear days from the dome of the State capitol at Sacramento, 
nearly 300 miles aAvay. 



CHAPTER VIII. 
The Glorious Shasta Route. 

June 24, 1905. 

WE left Sacramento in the evening. From San An- 
tonio, Texas, until we arrived at Sacramento we had 
been in the care of the Southern Pacific Railway and 
traveling over its road. From Sacramento we took the Shasta 
Route, and arrived in Dunsmuir, Oregon, the following morn- 
ing. At the break of day our party were up enjoying the mag- 
nificent scenery of the Shasta Mountains, which have been 
called "The Switzerland of America." 

Description fails in painting the wonders of this paradise. 
The beautiful Sacramento River rushing madly over its rock- 
strewn bed, tiny cataracts dashing, foaming, to the river bed 
below, and the glorious fragrance of the mountain heliotrops 
which abounds everywhere, combine to produce another Eden. 
Crossing the mountains, our train crept slowly over trestles 
of terrifying height, spanning wonderful canyons, beautifully 
wooded with splendid trees. Rare mountain flowers growing 
on perilous peaks are frequently seen. 

Shasta Springs was reached at noon. Grand old Shasta 
towered majestically above the surrounding range, lifting his 
hoary head to the sun. Our train stopped long enough for us 
to explore the beauties of the scenery and to drink the refresh- 
ing water of the springs. Shasta Springs, with its beautiful 
falls, cataracts and glorious mountain scenery, is simply sub' 
lime. 

On leaving Shasta Springs we continued over the moun- 
tains, finally reaching an elevation of 4,500 feet. Winding in 
and out of tunnels, crossing great trestles spanning gorges 



74 



THE LAND OF PROMISE 



and chasms, we finally reached the beautiful little city of Ash- 
iand, which lies at the foot of the mountains. This is the greai; 
fruit country of the Willamette Valley. Great crates of the 
most delicious cherries were put on the train for us. This is 
also the rose center of the State. Glorious fruits, flowers and 
l^rains are raised in great abundance. 

At Medford, Oregon, fruits and tlowers were again show- 
ered upon us. We breakfasted at Salem, the capital of Oregon, 
snd the commercial center for parts of Polk, Yamhill, Linn 
t'.nd Clackamas counties. There are probably 125,000 people 
now in the immediate patronizing territory. There is room 
for a million. 

The Oregon Penitentiary, Asylum for the Insane, Reform 
School, Deaf Mute School, School for the Blind, general office.^ 
— in fact all the purely State institutions, offices and officers — 
are located here, being so provided in the State Constitution. 

Salem has a population of about 14,000. It is the prune 
center of Oregon. Three-quarters of the 150,000 Angora goats 
of the State are found within a radius of fifty miles. IMost of 
the mohair is marketed here and in Dallas. There is room in 
the same territory, it is claimed, for a million goats. Goat rais- 
ing is considered a most profital)le and reliable industry. 



'W 






CPIAPTER IX. 
' ' Grand Old Oregon. ' ' 

"Go west, young" man." — Horace Greeley. 

June 26, 1905. 

PORTLAND, Oregon, was reached after a most interest- 
ing trip. But before I go into any details about Port- 
land as a city, I wish to speak of Oregon as a State. 

There is no better place in the growing west for the enter- 
prising young men of the east and Middle States to locate for 
life and reap the benefits of the great activities now being- 
developed on the Pacific coast. There was wisdom in Horace 
Greeley's advice, "Go west, young man." 

In the next twenty-five years Oregon is bound to grow 
into a great, populous and prosperous State. No country on 
earth surpasses in natural resources the territory within her 
borders. Travel America over, take the Nile country in its 
most flourishing days, the vastly rich country in the East 
Indies, and nothing can be found that will exceed in richness 
and variety of production the beautiful lands surrounding 
Salem, the capital of Oregon. 

The State of Oregon, the Willamette Valley in particular, 
has earned for itself the reputation for raising the best hops 
m the world. Hop land can be bought from $30 to $50 an 
acre, and good yards in this vicinity yield from 1,200 to 1,500 
pounds to the acre, which means a handsome profit to the 
grower. 

Oregon is nearly square in form, being 275 miles from north 
to south and about 350 from east to west. Contains 95,274 
square miles or 60,076,000 acres, consisting of valleys, hills 
tablelands and mountains. In the western part is the beautiful 



76 



THE LAND OF PROMISE 



Willamette Valley, which is bounded on the south by the Cala 
poola Mountains and on the north by the Columbia River. 

From Portland, Oregon, a number of our party visited the 
beautiful Dalles. In this eighty-eight-mile stretch Nature has 
made a scenic panorama of valley and hill, mountain and river, 
f^eld and forest, great high and picturesque walls of rock, fern 
r-nd moss covered crags, gorges and cascades that has no equal. 
The extreme wildness and beauty of the scenery is almost inde- 
scribable. Towering heavenward are the beautiful snow- 
capped peaks of Mount Hood, Mount Adams and Mount Saint 
Helens. During the entire trip from Portland to the Dalles 
the sightseer is regaled with incomparable views, about which 
\olumes have been written but whose grandeur and sublimity 
must be seen to be appreciated. On either side huge precipices 
tower skyward, while more than twenty cascades, half hidden 
by tree and vme, race over verdure-clad walls of rock. 




CHAPTER X. 
The Lewis and Clark Exposition. 

June 27, 1905. 

FROM the Dalles we returned to Portland. The site of the 
Lewis and Clark Exposition is a beautiful city and one 
full of interest. A beautiful, romantic history runs 
through the discovery by Lewis and Clark of the only terri- 
tory that made it possible for the United States to make acqui- 
sition by right of discovery. Sacajawea, the heroine of the 
story, was one of the three slave-wives of a French Canadian 
voyageur who acted as interpreter for the explorers. She was 
a full-blooded Shoshone Indian, who had been captured by the 
enemies of her tribe, the Mintarees, and sold by them to Char- 
bonneau, who had been an interpreter among the Gros Ventre 
Indians, having joined the expedition at Fort Mandan, the 
Lewis and Clarke headquarters, during the winter of 1804 
and 1805. 

Charbonneau in company with two Indian wives whom he 
had just purchased, together with Sacajawea, his latest acqui- 
sition, were invited to the fort to witness the dancing on Christ- 
mas day. February 11, 1804, Sacajawea gave birth to a son^ 
who accompanied her throughout the long journey through the 
wilderness. 

Charbonneau, who was quarelsome, and whose haggling 
about terms with the party almost lost him the position of 
interpreter and guide, would never have been retained by the 
party except for the knowledge that his Indian wife, Saca- 
jawea, possessed of the country through which the explorers 
must pass to reach the Pacific. This ignorant, uncultured 
daughter of barbarism proved ever a faithful wife to the degen- 
erate French voyageur who was her master rather than lover 



78 THE LAND OF PROMISE 

or friend, and whose affections (if any) she was obliged to 
share with two other Indian women. Ignorant of the simplest 
rule of propriety, this remarkable woman conducted herself 
with such dignity and poise as to win the admiration and respect 
of the entire party. She toiled incessantly, and did the work 
of a man in the perilous trip up the Missouri from Fort Man 
tian. The papers and instruments of the expedition party were 
carried in the canoe in which Sacajawea, her husband and babe 
rode. The canoe was caught in a whirlpool or rapid and over- 
turned. Charbonneau deserted both wife and child, but the 
brave Indian woman rescued the more important papers before 
she attempted to save the life of herself or infant son. 

Sacajawea then became the actual leader. It is said that 
at a period of great distress she gave Captain Lewis a piece 
of bread which she had been saving for a long time, intending 
in case of emergency to use it for her baby. At the close of 
the expedition Charbonneau received $500 for his services, 
and Sacajawea, the saviour of the expedition, received no com- 
pensation whatever. A beautiful statue made of Oregon cop- 
per at a cost of $7,000 has been erected to her memory in 
Columbia Court, the central plaza of the exposition. 

The statue, executed by Miss Alice Cooper, of Denver, 
represents a young woman with a papoose strapped to her 
])aek. The woman is pointing toward the distant sea, her face 
1 adiant. 

Thus after years have rolled on since the bravery of this 
remarkable Indian woman, tardy recognition is at last being 
made to her memory. 

Two days were spent in Portland seeing the fair. The 
Lewis and Clark Exposition is not as vast as the Chicago 
World's Fair, being much smaller, but the natural beauty of 
the site, Avith its excpiisitely kept grounds, is very artistic and 
pleasing to the eye. 

Ten large exhibit palaces formed the nucleus of the exposi- 
tion. Around these cluster the State, Territorial and conces- 
sions buildings, special pavilions, the Administration group. 



THE LEWIS AND CLARK EXPOSITION 



79 



the Auditorium, and numerous smaller pseudo-exhibit struc- 
tures. The main exhibit palaces are: Agricultural, Liberal 
and Industrial Arts, Foreign Exhibits, Forestry, Horticultural, 
]\Iines and ^Metallurgy, United States Government Exhibit 
Building, Oceanic Building, United States Fisheries, Forestry 
and Irrigation Building, Machinery, Electricity and Transpor- 
tation. The Forestry Building, constructed entirely of huge 
logs felled in the Oregon forests, is the most striking archi- 
tectural creation ever seen at an exposition. The United States 
Government Building occupies the Peninsula in the center of 
Guild's Lake. It covers three acres, cost $250,000, and has two 
towers, each of which is 260 feet high. 

Life, color, demonstration and motion are the chief features 
of all departments of the exposition. 

Portland, the exposition city, has 130,000 inhabitants. 
Within a radius of 300 miles of Portland there are 1,200,000 
people, and within 500 miles there are 1,900,000. Total cost 
of exposition, $5,000,000. 





Temple and Tabernacle, Salt Lake City, Utah 

Courteiiy BurUngton Route 



CHAPTER XI. 

The Wonders of Utah. 

June 29, 1905. 

AFTER leaving Oregon, Idaho was passed through. From 
the car window a beautiful agricultural country, rich 
in products of the field, was seen. One stop, and that 
at Tampa, we soon reached the borders of quaint and modern 
Utah. A brief stop at Ogden, and our special was transferred 
to the tracks of the Rio Grande Railroad and conveyed by that 
line to Salt Lake City. 

The State of Utah covers 85,000 square miles of territory 
and embraces within its borders every condition of climate 
from temperate to semi-tropical. It lies along the western 
slope of the Rocky Mountains and is the natural center of a vast 
area which is rapidly coming to be regarded as the richest 
section of the Union in natural resources and potential devel- 
opment. It was settled in 1847, by Mormon pioneers, and in the 
comparatively brief period that has elapsed since then it had 
made such marvelous strides in material, social and business 
progress as to excite the wonder and admiration of ths 
observer. Within the memory of many of its citizens, the 
country enclosed by its boundary lines was an arid, treeless 
and uninhabited desert ; today it is the home of 300,000 indus- 
trious, prosperous and patriotic people; its valleys are filled 
to the mountainside with fields of waving grain and orchards 
of choicest fruits, and its educational and charitable institu- 
tions are among the best in the land. 

A special train conveyed our party from Salt Lake City to 
beautiful Saltair. One of the grandest sights for the travelei* 
who visits the city of Salt Lake is the great Pavilion located 
at Saltair Beach, on the Great Salt Lake. It is thirteen miles 
due west from Salt Lake City. 




Cniir/Mi/ lUi) Oraiiih' Ud'iJnxid 



WONDERS OF UTAH 83 

The various huildings of the immense pavilion form a sym- 
metrical group. The magnitude of this great structure can 
he readily imagined, as its length is 1,200 and width 355 feet 
The lower floor is used for a refreshment room, and is provided 
with tables and seats enough to accommodate over a thousand 
persons at one time. The upper floor, which is one of the 
largest floors in the world, its dimensions being 140x250 feet 
of clear floor space without a pillar or obstruction of any kind, 
IS used for dancing. A thousand couples dancing at once is 
a frequent sight to be witnessed at this resort. The Great Salt 
Lake is 4,218 feet above the sea level. The water is a verita- 
ble salt brine. Wherever a splash of water touches a dry crust 
of salt forms. The salt is very coal'se and looks like granulated 
sugar. 

From Saltair we returned to Salt Lake City, to the great 
Mormon tabernacle. Salt Lake City was founded July 24, 
1847, by a company of jMormons, led by Brigham Young. The 
population is 85,000. The Tabernacle is full of interest. It is 
one of the largest auditoriums in this country and possesses 
acoustic properties unequaled by any other structure in 
America. The interior construction is so near perfect that the 
dropping of a pin can be heard at a distance of over 200 feet. 
The seats seen in close proximity to the organ accommodate 
an unpaid choir of 500 singers. The great organ, which in all 
probability is the most widely and favorably known pipe organ 
in the world, is at the west end of the tabernacle. 

We were royally entertained in the IMormon Tabernacle 
Avith a splendid recital on the world-famous pipe organ. When 
the organ and choir join forces it is a tidal wave of sweetest 
harmony, of grand tone. 

Utah is one of the most interesting States in the l^nion. 




Tithing House, Salt Lake City, Utah 

Courtesy Rio (rraiuJe Railroad 







Saltair Beach on Great Salt Lake 

Coiirti'sy Rio Grande; Railroad 




Mount of the Holy Cross 

Courtesy BurUngton Route 




Suspended Bridge in Royal Gorge 

Courtexy BKrltngfon Bonte 



CHAPTER XII. 
Colorado's Wonderland. 

July 1/1905. 

THROUGH the Rocky Mountains en route to IMauitou and 
Colorado Springs the scenery was simply splendid. 
Truly the mountainous region, with its wonderful can- 
yons, great gorges, foaming cataracts and sparkling mountain 
streams, is a scene which must be witnessed to be thoroughly 
appreciated. We stopped for fifteen minutes at the Royal 
Gorge. On either side immense Avails of solid granite rear 
their lofty heads to the ])lue sky above. The gorge is about 
the Avidth of a narrow street. The mad, rushing waters of a 
mountain stream dashing over its rocky bed is spanned hy an 
iron railroad bridge. 

It is a night and day journey from Salt Lake City to Pueblo, 
Colorado. During that time most of the trip was through the 
mountains. It Avas a raw, drizzly day, and at one time while 
i, rain Avas falling and beating against the car windoAVs we 
could look but a short distance and see the suoav falling rnpidly 
and silently in the mountains above us. It Avas a Avonderful 
sight. 

Here and there in the mountains are small cabins or huts 
of the prospectors searching for gold. Great shafts and 
machinery in active operation Avere seen frequently. 

We made a short stop at Pueblo for Sunday evening supper 
and Avere pleased Avith that thriving city. Colorado Springs 
vas reached the next morning. Our party Avas eager for the 
trip up Pike's Peak. An early start Avas made and Ave Avere 
taken by the cog-Avheel railroad up the mountain. The start 
Avas pleasant, the Aveather being magnificent; after traveling 




The Georgetown Loop 



Courtesy Bnrllugton Route 



COLORADO'S WONDERLAND 89 

over the mountain for a short time it became colder and wraps 
were resorted to. The trip affected several of the party, one 
suffering from nosebleed, from the rarity of the atmosphere. 
A magnificent panorama could be seen from the top of the 
mountain. At our feet nestled Manitou, a little farther Colo- 
rado City, and still farther Colorado Springs. The ground 
was covered with snow. We were told to brush away the 
snow, which we did, and we found the most beautiful little 
blossoms growing in the crevices between the rocks hidden in 
the snow. These flowers are called Rocky Mountain forget- 
I'le-nots, and are of a beautiful dark blue shade and very fra- 
grant. 

The summit of Pike's Peak is a barren pile of huge rocks. 
There is a small observatory building located there, which also 
contains a most unique postoffice owing to its utter seclusion 
from the world. 

The trip to Pike's Peak and return consumes four hours' 
time. Little burros could be seen plodding their way up the 
foot of the mountain, and numerous tourists rode the patient 
little beasts through the Garden. We drove by coach through 
the Garden of the Gods, a natural garden of wonderful rock 
formations shaped like animals and different objects. Here we 
saw the famous balanced rock, a huge stone so exquisitely 
balanced as to keep its equilibrium although swayed by every 
passing breeze. 

Manitou is a beautiful little city nestling at the foot oi 
Pike's Peak. The climate is delightful and the surroundings 
superb. 

Colorado Springs, a city of 35,000 inhabitants, is seven 
miles distant. It is 6,000 feet above sea level. 

We left the Springs in the afternoon, arriving in Denver 
in a short time. A committee from the Chamber of Commerce 
were awaiting us at the depot, and we were taken to the Savoy, 
where an elaborate lunch was awaiting us. 




Falls Near Rifle, Colorado 



Courtesy Burlbigton Route 



92 



LAND OP THE FAIR GOD 



A most delightful two hours' ride about the city in the 
electric cars was enjoyed. Denver, while a city of the plains, 
lying "wide-open to the sun," in the broad, gentle depression 
of the Piatt Valley, has one of the finest mountain views in the 
world. 

We left at ten o'clock the same night via the Burlington 
route for Chicago. The trip from Denver home was a very 
pleasant one. After four weeks of gorgeous scenery, rushing 
mountain streams, awe-inspiring canyons and gorges, the beau- 
tiful green fields of Nebraska and Iowa were a welcome sight. 
A ten-minute stop at Omaha, then we were in actual reality 
homeward bound. How good the waving corn fields of Illinois 
looked to my tired sight seeing vision can only be conjectured. 
After all, go where you will, visit the most interesting and 
beautiful States in our Union, and when the train rolls into 
the home depot a long breath is taken and the thought comes 
instinctivelv, "It is good to be home once more." 




Pikes Peak from Colorado Springs 

Courtesy Burlington Route 




VIEWS ON THE SOUTHERN PACIFIC^THE bCtNIU HuuTE 
TO CALIFORNIA 



'(She 

^SN^ ay to 

California 

^The Southern Pacific offers you the 
choice of three routes to California. 

PORTLAND —Shasta 
SALT LAnE— Ogden 
NEW ORLEANS— Sunset 

^^ Magnificent scenery, excellent train 
service, new composite-observation cars 
with train libraries — everything to make 
the trip one that will always be a pleasant 
memory. 

^ Write today for illu^rated literature. 

CHAS. S. FEE 

PASSENGER TRAFFIC MANAGER 
431 California St., San Francisco, Cal. 



SoutKern Pacific 





More Elbow Room 




HERE are thousands of people in the North and East, 
some on farms, some "cooped up" in cities, who 
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In the past few years thousands have found new homes in this great 
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Excellent ftirm lands are obtainable in the Southwest at one-half to 
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CHEAP Homeseekers' Excursions on first and third Tuesdays of 
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If you desire further detailed information 
regarding prices of farm land, homesteads, 
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for merchandising or manufacturing, in fact 
almost any line of business opportunities 
existing along the Rock Island System Lines, write me today. 



Rock 
Island 



T 1 C I, 4-- Passenerer Traffic Manager p],:^.., <.-/-» Tile 

John Sebastian Kock island system Lvmcaoo, ins. 



DEC \ ^SOI 



To Colorado, Utah, California 
and the Northwest 



Through Sleeping Car Service 
from all j^rincipal points, via 



The Denver and Rio 
Grande System 




The Scenic l>ine of the World" 

Traverses all the world famed points of interest 
in the Rocky Mountain reyion and you should 
see that your ticket reads via this route in order 
to make your trip most enjoyable Write for 
free illustrated literature 

S. K. Hooper, G. P. T. A., Denver 



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